Claron/Wasatch  Formation

Arial view of the Claron formation at Bryce Canyon National Park. Notice the pink and white areas of the rock

Side-view of Claron Formation at Bryce Canyon National Park

Close-up view of Claron Formation at Bryce Canyon National Park.

The Claron Formation also known as the Wasatch formation is Eocene in age but ranges from the Paleocene to the middle Oligocene. When discussing the Claron Formation, it is usually described as being divided into two units. A pink unit and a white unit.  The pink unit is generally the lower part and usually 700ft thick. It mostly consists of pink, pale-orange, light-gray, and white limestone. It gives of the colors because of an oxidizing environment which arranged Iron in the rock, in the mud, and silts inside the rock would take the form of hematite, giving of the pink and red hues. The white unit is the upper part of the formation and is usually 300ft thick. It mostly consists of white clastic and microcrystalline limestone which was caused by layering of Silt Stone on top of Limestone because it was deposited by ancient lakes.  This is most specifically referring to the higher elevations of Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Park.